franz



w. M. FRANZ.

Telegraph Key. 1

No. 69,984. 'PatentedOct. 22,1867.

MPETERS, PKOTO-LITHOGRAPYIER WASHINGTON. D. C.

gums tetra gaunt m WILLIAM M, FRANZ, OF. BUCYRUS, 01110;

I Letters Patent No." 69,984 dated October 22, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN OPERATING TELEGRAPH-KEYS TO ALL WHOM IT-MAY CONCERN:

Be it known" that 1, WILLIAM FRANZ, of Bucyrus, in the county of Crawford, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and improved Mode of Restoring the Electric Circuit in Telegraph Liues, after the transmission of dispatches, by a Self-Adjusting Slide; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in providing the-lever of a telegraphic key with a slide which detaches the telegraph line when the key is in use by the operator so that he may transmit his message, and which slide, by means of a spiral spring, closes the..line and restores the circuit instantaneously whenjtlic operator discontinues writing.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

I construct my key in any of the known for1ns,-and, instead of the ordinary cut-ofi or slide operated by .hand to break the electric circuit and by hand to restore the same, I apply thereto my automatic slide.

Figure 1 is an ordinary key with my improvement attached. Figure2 is a side view of my-slide or cut-off.

Figure 3 is a. top view of my slide with its connection to the button omitted. I is the main lever of an ordinary instrument or key used to make the letters or signals. E is the nut of an ordinary key which holds the metallic pointed endof one of the wires of the main line, which nut is set on the base K,'but insulated therefrom. Said end of the main wire passes through a hole in said base K to said nut J is a small lever passing from the button B through a slot in the main lover I, and pivoted therein at C, thence to the'slide-or cut-off 'A, and-pivoted in the end of said slide or cut-offat H. D is a metallic ex tenslon or projection of the nut E, which may be horizontal, or straight, or curved, as shown in figs. 1 and 2, against which the shoulder of the slide or cut-off A rests when writing is suspended to restore the connection and electric current to the mainline of wire. F is a spiral spring, with one end attached by a hook to themain lever I, as shown in fig. 1 at I, the other end of said spiral spring being-attached to the small perpendicular lever J, mid-way between the two pivots, at'C and H, and adjusted with such tension as will keep the shoulder of the slide A against the metallic extension 1) of said nut E when the key or instrument is no tin use.

When it is desired to use my. improvement in the transmission of a telegraphic message, the instrumentis operated as follows: The fore-finger of the operator is placed on the button B in the ordinary manner, but making the pressure chiefly on the inner edge of the same, by which thelower end of the transverse lever J is thrown to the right, and the slide A is drawn in the same direction, so that the shoulder of said slide is detached from its contact with the extension D of said nut E, and thus the electric current passing to the key crinstrumeht by the'wire leading from-the main line, and having its point passing thronghthe nut E, as aforesaid, is broken, and'by the strokes of the operators hand on said button B, the lever I is brought down so that the metallic point set in said main lever at G, immediately above the lower metallic point, in said nut E, is brought in contact with said lower point, thusmaking a sudden connection and passing the current along the wires of the main line and making the ordinary signals in the ordinary way. When the message is finished and the operators hand is withdrawn from the button B',.the spiral spring F, attachedvto said pivoted transverselever J, immediately draws back the slide A, which, by the forked end thereof, as shown at Gin fig. 3, straddles the metallic point extending down from the main lever Lat G,-in fig. 1, and restores the electric current to the main wire by bringing the shoulder of my slide, at D, in contact with said metallic extension-of nutjE, making the circuit complete and continuous, and thus, by my improvement andsclf-acting, slide, the time and inconvenience of making a'scparate movement to use the old slide and other methods of connecting the electric circuit are obviated, anl the serious conscqucnces of a suspension of the workings of an entire line of.telegraph, through the mistake or negligence of' an operator to close the old slide, are avoided, as well as the consequences of the accidental opening of theold slide. Instead of the spiral spring in' the exact manner I have it here arranged, an India-rubber cord may be used, or much shorter spiral spring may be used, and set to the right of said transverse lever on the lower side of the main lever I, under said button B, and there cramped so as t1 flush said slide A to its place at the end of a message, but I prefer the method here shown, and especially for the reason that it may be readily attached to the ordinary keys now in use.

What I claimas my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is.--

The combination of the pivoted transverse lever J and the slide A, operated and self-adjusted by the spiral spring F, or its equivalent, for the purpose in the manner substantially as shown and described; as aforesaid.

WILLIAM M. FRANZ.

Witnesses:

E. B. FINLEY, A. G. Rorosrsnn. 

